LOS ANGELES — The faithful green masses, including a young boy in a full leprechaun getup, roared their approval Wednesday when Jayson Tatum rushed back in transition to swat a dunk attempt into the stands. Three thousand miles from TD Garden, the Boston Celtics looked poised to close out the Los Angeles Clippers and seal another win in what has been, on balance, an impressive title defense.
Seconds later, the groans came when Clippers guard Terance Mann slipped free on the inbounds play for an uncontested layup. Tatum’s extra effort play was immediately undone by a collective attention lapse.